What Is a Crib Bumper Used for?

Crib bumpers support three key needs that help little ones sleep through the night.

First, they prevent bumps from rolling in the night.

Second, they prevent your child’s arms and legs from sliding between the rails.

Third, crib bumpers can keep your child warmer by blocking drafty air. All of these can wake your child up in the night costing both of you valuable sleep.

Reviewing baby sleep milestones can help you understand why people began using crib bumpers.

Baby Sleep Milestones

Newborn: Newborns sleep about 17 hours in a 24 hour period. Typically, their sleep doesn’t follow a pattern. They wake frequently to eat because their stomach is small.

1 Month: Babies still sleep about 17 hours a day. They may start sleeping more at night because they start to get a pattern.

2 Months: Babies sleep about 16 hours a day. During the night, they will still wake up to feed. However, they may start to cut back on nighttime feedings. Also, they nap frequently during the daytime.

3 Months: Babies sleep about 16 hours each day. Some babies start to sleep for six to eight hours through the night. They still nap during the day with an average of three naps.

6 Months: Babies sleep about 15 hours. Many will sleep for 10 hours during the night. Also, their daytime naps are less frequent. Most babies only rest twice a day, during the morning and afternoon.

9 Months: Babies sleep about 14 hours. 11 of those hours are during the night. They continue two naps a day. However, your baby may get fussier about going to sleep because they start to feel separation anxiety.

12 Months: Babies sleep about 14 hours a day. They continue sleeping 11 hours at night with two daytime naps. However, the naps get shorter during this age.

To support these important sleep milestones, parents must find a way to safely prevent the hard bumps, cold air and tangled limbs for each age.

Are Crib Bumpers Safe?

While parents have mixed feelings about the safety of crib bumpers, all professionals agree that parents should avoid crib bumpers. They pose a risk to child safety during the night.

In the video below, the Nurse Dani is answering a question about bumper pads

Professional Opinion

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics says you should never use crib bumpers. Also, Dr. Edward Kulich, The Baby Sleep Doctor, gives three reasons why parents should never use traditional crib bumpers.

Babies don’t roll until 3 or 4 months old. So, they don’t need protection from the crib bars. If they do move, they won’t generate enough force for injury.

Babies can roll face first into a bumper around 4 months old. This is the same health risk as sleeping with a pillow. They can possibly suffocate if they get stuck against a bumper.

Babies begin to pull to a standing position at 9 months old. So, they can use a firm bumper as a step and fall out of the crib.

Parent Opinion

From 2006 to 2012, 23 children died from crib bumpers. Some parents feel that this number is very low to pose a true risk. Other parents choose to take the cautious approach and avoid bumpers altogether.

Safe Sleep Tips

In addition to avoiding crib bumpers, parents should take other key steps for safe sleep. The following guidelines from the CDC explain how to keep your baby safe at night.